Emergent wins NIAID grant to develop tuberculosis vaccine

Emergent BioSolutions has won a multi-year grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to develop MVA85A, a candidate vaccine against tuberculosis (TB).

The vaccine is being developed through a partnership between Aeras and the Oxford-Emergent Tuberculosis Consortium (OETC), where the vaccine was originally developed and investigated.

MVA85A is completing Phase IIb clinical trial which has received continued funding from Aeras and the Wellcome Trust.

MVA85A is also being studied in a second Phase IIb trial which will enroll approximately 1,400 adults living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Senegal and South Africa.

Emergent president and chief operating officer Daniel Abdun-Nabi said with efficacy data expected in the coming months, the company is hopeful that MVA85A will have a significant impact on the global burden of the lethal disease.